The value of a tree very well may not be its timber
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the value of trees.
But in that particular column, I had concentrated mostly on the value of the woody portion of the tree or, as I like to think of it, the tree corpse after it has been cut down. I had intended to write another column the following week in which I would be able to get into the real value of a tree.
But then the live oaks started browning and dumping leaves, and I got onto that subject instead so that I could let people know what I thought was going on there.
Getting back on track, while the physical part of trees may have some dollar value, the real value in trees is tied up in where they are located and what they do for a piece of property.
I actually do tree appraisals (when they're called for), and I can tell you from experience that the difference in value between a standing, healthy tree, and one that has been cut down and will be sold for its parts, can be huge. A good example would be a mesquite tree that I appraised many years ago. Now, we can all recognize that there are plenty of mesquite trees in our region and that, for the most part, since they are somewhat universally despised, they don't have a lot of value.
When was the last time you heard a Realtor say something like "and this property is really attractive because it has mesquite trees in both the front and the back yards?"
Yeah, I'm drawing a blank on that one, too.
Anyway, this particular mesquite was growing just outside the backyard fence of the property. On top of that, it grew parallel to the ground beside the fence for quite a ways before turning toward the sky. Not a particularly unusual shape for a mesquite, but in this instance it was between the backyard fence and a busy road.
On the other side of that fence was a play area for small children. With a set up like that, you know what that tree contributed to that property? Safety. It was a large enough diameter tree that it presented a physical barrier between any cars that might leave the road and the children's play area. And do you know why I was contacted to put a value on that particular tree?
Yep, you guessed it. Someone had lost control of their car, jumped the curb and demolished that tree but didn't make it past the tree and to the fence. The tree did exactly what it looked like it would do, which was protect the yard. That car must have been moving alongm too, because it absolutely destroyed the tree, and it was not a small diameter trunk.
What the dollar value of a tree is placed can be a very complex subject, and it seldom has much, if anything, to do with what the timber value of the plant is. How healthy it is, where it is, what species it is and what the property is used for. A host of other things all come in to play, and have to be accounted for, in a way that people can understand. Personally, I like doing appraisals, although I like them a little better after I'm done with them than I do before I get started.
The point of all of this is, that when a tree is in place, and doing fairly well, it can be contributing a lot of things to a piece of property, that give it value well beyond what the physical value of the woody parts of the tree are. Yes, if you are talking about something exotic like a big cherry tree, black walnut or burl maple, that wood is going to be very valuable in its own right.
But since those trees don't grow in our region, we're probably going to have to stick with getting our tree value from what they contribute to our property and well-being versus how much we can sell their dismembered corpses for.
Bruce Kreitler is a a registered arborist in Abilene.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: The value of a tree very well may not be its timber
